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Abstract

Lyme disease is the most frequently diagnosed tick-borne
illness in the United States. Maryland alone
reported 138 confirmed cases of Lyme disease during 1989.
Assateague Island in Berlin, Maryland, is considered an
endemic area for Lyme disease. This project was a
prospective epidemiological study, which was developed to
assess the occupational risk of Lyme disease in Assateague
Island State and National Seashore Park workers. The study focused on seroconversion, tick bite
exposure and preventive practices used to avoid tick bite
exposure. Ninety-nine subjects were enrolled during Phase
I of the study, which consisted of the administration of a
questionnaire and a venous blood sample for Borrelia
burgdorferi antibody detection. During Phase II of the
study, eighty-six subjects were enrolled. Again, a second
questionnaire was administered and a repeat venous blood
sample collected. Using a chi-square analysis and t-test, the researcher
identified that a significant relationship existed between
time spent in the marsh and the number of tick bites
experienced. A trend was observed when examining the
relationship between time spent in the woodland and the
number of tick bites experienced. There was no significant
relationship between preventive measures practiced and the
number of tick bites experienced, nor was seroconversion
identified.